Mortar and pestle

Lore & Background

Mortars and pestles were invented in the Stone Age when humans found that grinding food and materials into smaller particles allowed for improved use. Hard grains could be cooked and digested more easily, grinding potsherds into grog improved fired clay, and larger objects like salt blocks became easier to handle.

Reader's Guide

The mortar and pestle have been essential tools across many cultures and eras. Since the 14th century, bronze mortars became popular for alchemy and early chemistry, being harder and easier to cast with handles and spouts, though they corroded easily with acids. From the late 17th century, glazed porcelain mortars became useful as they resisted chemicals and were easy to clean.

The tools are also used in cooking for guacamole, hummus, pesto, and grinding spices, and in Japanese cuisine for preparing mochi with large wooden mortars and mallets. Their invention predates modern blenders and grinders, functioning as small, mobile, hand-operated mills that require no electricity. The mortar and pestle are among the most pervasive symbols of pharmacology, alongside the Rod of Asclepius and the Green Cross.

Did You Know?

• The word 'pesto' derives from the Latin 'pistillum', meaning 'pounder', the source of the English word 'pestle'.
• Large wooden mortars and pestles predate and led to the invention of butter churns during the Neolithic.
• In Russian folklore, Baba Yaga is depicted flying in a large wooden mortar, holding a pestle to remove obstacles.
• The Roman poet Juvenal applied both 'mortarium' and 'pistillum' to articles used in preparing drugs, reflecting the early symbol of a pharmacist.